A study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research indicates that high-end fashion items have inconspicuous labels and logos because that's what elite shoppers prefer.

Rather than rely on obvious logos, expensive products use more discreet markers, such as distinctive design or detailing. High-end consumers prefer markers of status that are not decipherable by the mainstream. These signal group identity only to others with the connoisseurship to recognize their insider standing.

Insiders avoid logos “in identity-relevant domains to distinguish themselves from mainstream consumers who buy such products to show they’ve made it.”